Upstate Drops 3-1 Decision at Stetson
11/1/2013 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
DeLand, Fla. – The USC Upstate volleyball team fell 3-1 Friday evening to the Stetson Hatters in Atlantic Sun action at the Edmunds Center.
Stetson won the match by scores of 25-14, 22-25, 25-16 and 25-21.
Kayla Eversgerd picked up her team-leading 13th double-double of the season with a match-high 21 kills and 13 digs. Lexi Gober also recorded her 11th double-double with 31 assists and 12 digs. Emily Koelling added 12 kills and Morgan Page a match-high 21 digs.
The Hatters opened the match by winning the first set 25-14. Stetson raced out to a 10-4 lead following back-to-back service aces by Kayla Weller. The Hatters stretched their lead to 21-9 after an 11-5 run midway through the set. The lead increased to 23-11 and Stetson would win the set after a kill by Madison Akins. Eversgerd led Upstate with four kills in the first set.
The Spartans responded to tie the match at 1-1 following a 25-22 victory in the second set. Eversgerd, Koelling and Alexa Lagaly combined for 13 kills in the set as Upstate held Stetson to just 10 kills as a team. The two teams split the opening 12 points as the score was 6-6 after Lagaly's block on a Hatter attack attempt. Lagaly gave the Spartans a 7-6 lead following her kill on the next play. Upstate increased their lead to 13-10, but Stetson used a 5-0 run to go ahead 15-13. The Spartans answered to tie the set at 16-16 on Eversgerd's kill. The Hatters would regain the lead and hold a 22-19 advantage late in the set. Upstate rallied to end the set on a 6-0 run highlighted by Gober's service ace to end the frame.
Stetson came back in the third set to take a 2-1 lead in the match after a 25-16 win. The Spartans held a 4-3 lead early in the set on a kill by Koelling, but the Hatters would take a 6-4 lead and not trail the rest of the way. A service ace by Lagaly tied the set at 12-12, but Stetson answered with an 8-2 run to lead 20-14. The Hatters took the set on Eversgerd's attack error. Eversgerd finished with six kills in the set.
The fourth set began with Stetson taking four of the first five points to lead 4-1 on Madison Akins' kill. Upstate rallied with a 5-0 run of its own to lead 5-4. The teams traded the next several points until the set was tied at 10-10 following Eversgerd's kill. The set was tied twice more during the middle stages until Michelle Kastner's kill gave the Hatters a 19-16 lead. The Spartans trimmed their deficit to 20-19, but the Hatters went on a 5-2 run to win the set, and match, 25-21. Eversgerd added six more kills in the set.
Tiffany Creamer led all Stetson players with 13 digs and Weller contributed 43 assists.
Upstate wraps up its road trip Saturday, Nov. 2 at 7 p.m. against Florida Gulf Coast.
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